WASHINGTON (AP) — Did the federal government try to strong-arm Yahoo into giving up information about its users? The online portal says it did. In court documents, Yahoo says the government threatened to fine the company a quarter-million dollars a day if it didn’t go along with demands to cough up data.

In the paperwork, Yahoo said it considered the demand unconstitutional — and resisted. In the end, Yahoo lost both the challenge and a subsequent appeal. Yahoo is one of several companies the government mined for information about users — as part of the effort to step up online surveillance.

IN THE NEWS: HOME DEPOT BREACH

NEW YORK (AP) — Remember how people went nuts after it came out that Target had been hit with a major data breach? The security breach at Home Depot could turn out to be even bigger than that — and possibly the biggest ever.

But people aren’t freaking out.

While Target has suffered profit and sales decline after it let on that 40 million debit and credit card accounts may have been compromised, few customers seem fazed about the Home Depot breach. The head of a retail consulting company says for most people, the Home Depot case is “simply not a big deal” to shoppers.

Why?

One shopper says while the Target breach was a big shock, people seem to have become numb to reports of such intrusions.

ON THE WEB: RAY RICE AND TWITTER

CYBERSPACE (AP) — It always seems to happen: an issue erupts in sports and an athlete gets in trouble for spouting an online opinion that runs counter to what most people think. Meet NBA star Paul George. The Indiana Pacers player suggested in tweets that ex-NFL star Ray Rice got a raw deal — because he was reacting to being attacked by his then-finance when he punched her unconscious. Once fans complained, George pulled the messages. He was also chastised by his boss, former NBA star Larry Bird. He called George’s tweets “thoughtless and without regard to the subject of domestic violence and its seriousness in society.”

IN STORES: GAMES NOT IN STORES

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — It’s the video game NOBODY wants to play: the waiting game. But that is what happens more frequently these days, when game manufactures do the electronic version of writing a check with their mouths that their developers can’t cash. There are a growing number of games that were due out this year — but are now being been delayed until next. Among them are the highly anticipated titles “Evolve,” ”Dying Light” and “Battlefield Hardline” — all of which were shown off at this week’s GameStop Expo in Anaheim, California. But they won’t be in stores for a while.

Publishers say the games are being kept from market to give developers time to tweak them into better products. But gamers say it’s frustrating.

At the same time, the titles’ absence seems to make the gamers’ hearts grow fonder. Analysts say the delay in release dates don’t affect sales, once the games do finally hit stores.

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple has already made inroads in the way people use computers, buy and listen to music, make phone calls — and do mobile computing. But can it change the way we pay for stuff? The company is betting that its Apple Pay system will help revolutionize how sales are made. Apple Pay will let people use smartphones to buy things both at brick-and-mortar stores and online stores. The company says it’s easier and more secure than using a credit or debit card. More importantly for Apple’s profit picture, it puts the company in competition with services like PayPal and Google Wallet.

IN THE NEWS: ACT ON COMPUTERS

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Back in the day, people used No. 2 pencils to take standardized tests for college. Then there was the bubble-sheet version of the exams. Now there’s a growing move toward using computers to take those tests. Back in April, thousands of students took the ACT on computers. The company that provides the test says that’s the first time the college entrance exam was administered without a pencil and paper. The contents of the computerized version of the tests are the same as the bubble sheet version, the results are considered official — and they can be reported to colleges.

ON THE WEB: TVEYES

CYBERSPACE — A media monitoring company that distributes TV clips to customers like the White House and Congress hasn’t violated broadcasters’ copyrights. That’s the ruling of a judge in New York City — which ruled in a copyright infringement case brought against TVEyes by Fox News Network. The judge ruled the company’s database and searchable function for TV clips and snippets of transcript were fair uses of broadcast content and thus were protected from claims of copyright infringement.

IN STORES: “DESTINY” SALES

SANTA MONICA, California (AP) — So far, so good for “Destiny.” Activision says it has sold more than $500 million worth of the video game worldwide on its first day of release. The company says that makes the title the biggest new video game franchise launch in history. There were more than 11,000 midnight openings worldwide — with fans of the game from nearly 200 countries shared their experiences on YouTube and social media.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ariana Grande will be the musical guest as “Saturday Night Live” returns for its 40th season on September 27. Chris Pratt of “Parks and Recreation” will be the host. Maroon 5 will be the musical guest on October 4, as Sarah Silverman hosts.

U2’S NEW ALBUM NOT ELIGIBLE FOR CHARTS OR GRAMMYS YET

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When half a billion people have the new U2 record at the same time, you just assume it has to be the number-one album, right? The people who compile the charts say, not so fast. Billboard does not include free or giveaway albums when it tallies its Billboard 200 album chart. Apple gave U2’s surprise album, “Songs of Innocence,” to all iTunes users this week for free. Billboard says “Songs of Innocence” will not be eligible for charts until it goes on sale on October 14. By the same token, the album will not be eligible for Grammy consideration, in spite of the giveaway happening before the September 30 deadline. The Recording Academy only considers albums that are commercially available, and “Songs of Innocence” will be for sale after the deadline. It will be eligible for the Grammys that take place in 2016.

NICKI MINAJ SPORTS NEW LOOK FOR NEW RECORD

NEW YORK (AP) — Nicki Minaj is dropping the cartoon look. Minaj is keeping her hair its natural black color and is favoring more conservative clothes lately. She says she looks more like the way she looks like when she’s at home. She credits a higher confidence level for her toned-down approach to fashion. A new look also means a new album. Minaj says her new record, “The Pinkprint,” is her best body of work, and it’s diverse without trying too hard. It comes out November 24.

MAROON 5, BOB MARLEY HAVE BIG CHART WEEKS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Maroon 5 have another number-one record. Their fifth studio album, “V,” makes its debut on the Billboard 200 album chart at the top. It sold 164,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Their 2007 album, “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long,” also hit number one. The big surprise on the chart is Bob Marley’s greatest hits collection, “Legend.” It’s number 5. That’s because the Google Play store sold it for 99 cents last week.

MILEY CYRUS BECOMES JEWELRY DESIGNER

NEW YORK (AP) — Lots of people make their own jewelry in homemade crafts. When Miley Cyrus does it, it ends up on the New York runway. Cyrus’ handmade jewelry was part of designer Jeremy Scott’s runway show yesterday in Manhattan. The jewelry was made of children’s alphabet beads, toys and other colorful items. Scott says he lives near Cyrus and she showed him her jewelry. It reminded him of his clothing line so he asked to use the items in his show. He says Cyrus made every piece of jewelry herself.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Shelton makes a lousy undercover pizza worker. Shelton posed as a Pizza Hut clerk on Thursday wearing a uniform with the name “Stephen” on it. Most customers recognized him right away. Shelton tried to keep the act up by referring to himself as “Stephen” and saying he was new there. One customer asked if he helped make her pizza and he said, “I wouldn’t do that to you.” You can access the videos through Pizza Hut’s Facebook page.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD TEARS UP AT ACM HONORS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Carrie Underwood got emotional at the ACM Honors in Nashville last night. Underwood was misty eyed thanking her family and friends, after receiving the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award. Underwood and husband, NHL player Mike Fisher, are expecting their first baby next spring.

HILLSIDE, N.J. (AP) — Aerosmith, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Tom Jones and Elvis Costello will be immortalized as “Simpsons” action figures. They will be part of the next wave of “25 of the Greatest Guest Stars” toy collection from “The Simpsons.” They will be available at Toys ‘R’ Us stores and other retailers in the coming weeks. This marks the fourth wave of the “Guest Stars” action figures. Ones that are already available include R.E.M., The Who, Britney Spears, James Brown and Kid Rock. More figures will be introduced every two to three months.

ART GARFUNKEL: WELL-READ, WELL-WALKED

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Here are two fun facts you may not know about Art Garfunkel: you can find out every book he’s read for the past 46 years, and he’s walking around the world. Garfunkel maintains a list of every book he’s read since 1968 on his website at www.ArtGarfunkel.com . His favorites include “War and Peace,” ”Wuthering Heights” and “The Shining.” Garfunkel has also finished his walk across Europe. He did it in pieces, starting in Ireland in 1998, and he made it to Istanbul, Turkey, last month. Garfunkel once walked across Japan, and his walk across the United States was chronicled in the “Across America” concert film.

JIM PETERIK FONDLY REMEMBERS SURVIVOR SINGER JIMI JAMISON

BROOKFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Former Survivor musician Jim Peterik has only good things to say about singer Jimi Jamison, even though Jamison once took control of the band’s name. Jamison died unexpectedly last month.

In the mid-1990s, Peterik and guitarist Frankie Sullivan failed in their legal fight to keep Jamison from using the Survivor name without them. Jamison eventually rejoined Survivor. Peterik says he never held a grudge against Jamison and was thrilled to produce Jamison’s solo album after they talked things over. Peterik says Jamison’s death hit him really hard because Jamison had been performing just two days prior and suddenly he was gone.

Survivor have called off their tour dates for September and October.

U2’S NEW ALBUM NOT ELIGIBLE FOR CHARTS OR GRAMMYS YET

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When half a billion people have the new U2 record at the same time, you just assume it has to be the number-one album, right? The people who compile the charts say, not so fast. Billboard does not include free or giveaway albums when it tallies its Billboard 200 album chart.

Apple gave U2’s surprise album, “Songs of Innocence,” to all iTunes users this week for free. Billboard says “Songs of Innocence” will not be eligible for charts until it goes on sale on October 14.

By the same token, the album will not be eligible for Grammy consideration, in spite of the giveaway happening before the September 30 deadline. The Recording Academy only considers albums that are commercially available, and “Songs of Innocence” will be for sale after the deadline. It will be eligible for the Grammys that take place in 2016.

NEW YORK (AP) — The EA Sports slogan “if it’s in the game, it’s in the game” — apparently works in reverse. The company says now that Ray Rice has been ousted from the NFL, it’s ousting the disgraced Baltimore Ravens running back from the latest version of its Madden game.

The decision on removing Rice from Madden NFL 15 comes as the title is just getting into the hands of gamers; it was released late last month. EA Sports says because Rice is suspended indefinitely by the league for punching his finance unconscious, it will erase him out of the title. Rice will be “cut” when gamers execute an online update through their gaming system of choice. Madden is, by far, the oldest and most popular football video game franchise.

IN THE NEWS: MSN GETS AN(OTHER) MAKEOVER

NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft is giving its MSN portal yet another makeover. The company says the latest do-over for the site is aimed at fitting its strategy of focusing its business on mobile phones and Internet-based services, rather than the traditional desktop or laptop. The site will feature news culled from a variety of media outlets, as well as a way to check medical symptoms and generate a shopping list for recipes. One key feature is the ability to synch results across all devices. For example if you use your desktop to put together a shopping list for a dish you want to make, the list will show up on the MSN app running on your smartphone.

ON THE WEB: WHOLE FOODS-INSTACART

CYBERSPACE (AP) — Some people will be getting the Whole Foods Market experience — delivered to their door. The retailer has teamed up with a company called Instacart to offer grocery delivery within an hour. The service will be available for online purchasers in more than a dozen cities. Instacart delivers from Whole Foods stores in all 15 cities it currently serves: Atlanta; Austin; Boston; Boulder, Colorado; Chicago; Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; Philadelphia; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; San Jose, California; Seattle and Washington, D.C.

IN STORES: APPLE’S NEW OFFERINGS

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — It’s the first major new product for Apple since 2010 — when it rolled out the iPad. The company is releasing a smartwatch. The device is an effort to move into the wearable device market — and to respond to Apple critics who feel the company may have lost its knack for innovating products since Steve Jobs died in 2011.

It will be called the Apple Watch, not the iWatch, as some had predicted. And most of its functions will be controlled by the crown — the part of a watch old fogies remember as what you used to use to wind the mainspring.

The other new announcements — a pair of new iPhones, both with larger screens. The iPhone 6 will have a 4.7-inch screen — while the iPhone 6 Plus will have a screen that’s five and a half inches. Both phones have a new horizontal viewing mode to take advantage of the larger display. The phones will be available a week from Friday while the smartwatch won’t be available until early next year.

NEW YORK (AP) — Musicians are turning out in droves to take part in the Paul McCartney tribute CD. Billy Joel does “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Live and Let Die.” Bob Dylan performs “Things We Said Today,” and Willie Nelson tackles “Yesterday.” Def Leppard remakes “Helen Wheels,” Cheap Trick does “Jet,” and Perry Farrell puts his spin on “Got To Get You Into My Life.” The Cure enlisted McCartney’s son, James, on keyboards for “Hello Goodbye.” Other artists involved include Chrissie Hynde, Heart, Steve Miller, Brian Wilson, Corinne Bailey Rae, Owl City, Kiss, Airborne Toxic Event, Sammy Hagar and Alice Cooper. “The Art of McCartney” comes out November 18.

DAVID BOWIE RELEASES NEW CAREER RETROSPECTIVE

NEW YORK (AP) — A new greatest-hits collection from David Bowie will encompass everything from his early work to last year’s “The Next Day” album. “Nothing Has Changed” will also include a new song, “Sue (or In A Season of Crime),” recorded especially for the collection. It also features the unreleased track “Let Me Sleep Beside You” from the “Toy” sessions, and a 2001 re-recording of the 1971 outtake “Shadow Man.” ”Nothing Has Changed” comes out November 18.

U2 GIVE AWAY NEW ALBUM TO ITUNES USERS

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — You use iTunes, you get U2’s album for free. In fact, it’s already there waiting for you. U2 made the surprise announcement at Apple’s unveiling event in Cupertino, California, yesterday. More than half a billion iTunes accounts got the “Songs of Innocence” album free yesterday. Don’t have iTunes? You can get the album the traditional way on October 14. U2 has a long relationship with Apple. Their 2004 song “Vertigo” was used for an Apple iPod commercial and a special iPod was released with the band’s autographs on it. The band’s fee went to charity.

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — You use iTunes, you get U2’s album for free. In fact, it’s already there waiting for you. U2 made the surprise announcement at Apple’s unveiling event in Cupertino, California, yesterday. More than half a billion iTunes accounts got the “Songs of Innocence” album free yesterday. Don’t have iTunes? You can get the album the traditional way on October 14. U2 has a long relationship with Apple. Their 2004 song “Vertigo” was used for an Apple iPod commercial and a special iPod was released with the band’s autographs on it. The band’s fee went to charity.

ANOTHER FESTIVAL CALLS OFF CEE LO GREEN PERFORMANCE

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A music festival in Mobile, Alabama, is the latest to drop Cee Lo Green from its lineup. The CEO of Mobile Bayfest, Bobby Bostwick, says recent comments attributed to Green conflict with the beliefs of the festival. Green recently pleaded no contest to a felony charge of giving ecstasy to a woman during a dinner in Los Angeles in 2012. Green later tweeted comments about rape, including one that said, “Women who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!” He later apologized. Two other festivals have dropped Green, and TBS canceled his reality show.

LADY GAGA HONORS MIDDLE EAST DRESS RESTRICTIONS

DUBAI (AP) — Even Lady Gaga knows when to challenge cultural norms and when to back off. She will perform in Dubai today and promises to adhere to conservative clothing restrictions of the Middle East. Lady Gaga says some artists refuse to compromise on such things, but she believes it’s important to respect other cultures. She says her message of “light and happiness and creativity and freedom” is more important than her clothes.

JUSTIN BIEBER BOOED

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Bieber heard the boo birds in Brooklyn last night. Bieber was on stage to introduce singer Rita Ora at the Fashion Rocks concert in the New York City borough. Once the crowd started booing loudly, Beieber stripped to his boxers and socks. That got Bieber some cheers.

JORDAN KNIGHT AND NICK CARTER COLLABORATE ON “NICK AND KNIGHT”

NEW YORK (AP) — Jordan Knight of New Kids On The Block says performing with Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys meant less stress. Knight says being in a big group creates pressure to do music for a mass audience. They recently put out an album, “Nick and Knight” and are currently on tour together. Carter says he hit it off with Knight during the New Kids/Backstreet tour in 2011. They decided to play around with music and they came up with a whole album. Carter says their groupmates are supportive of the project because they support their members going out and having some individuality.

NEW YORK (AP) — The largest home improvement chain in the U.S. is acknowledging that its cybersecurity can use some work. Home Depot has confirmed that it was, indeed, the victim of a security breach. The company says the hacking could affect customers who have used credit and debit cards at its U.S. and Canadian locations from as far back as April.

Home Depot said last week it was looking into a potential hack — but hadn’t confirmed a data breach. However it now says there’s evidence that the system was compromised. The company isn’t saying how many cards might be affected. But it does say customers won’t be held responsible for fraudulent charges to their accounts.

UNDATED (AP) — Twitter wants you to be able to shop as easily as you tweet. The company is rolling out a way to test a system where users can either buy things or make charitable contributions while logged on the service. The test phase will let a small percentage of Twitter users to get tweets from the company’s partners that feature a “buy” button. Among the first partners involved are the music groups Soundgarden and Panic! At The Disco as well as retailers like Home Depot and Burberry. For those concerned about security issues — Twitter says users’ personal information will be encrypted and their credit card details won’t be given to sellers without permission.

ON THE WEB: JUDGE JUDY

CYBERSPACE (AP) — Want Judge Judy’s thoughts? Those who want to get her advice from a forum other than her TV show will be able to — by receiving a free copy of her new book. Judy Sheindlin is giving out 10,000 free copies of her book “What Would Judy Say: Be the Hero of Your Own Story.” The giveaway is part of her celebration of the 19th season of her syndicated show. And don’t worry, she can afford to be generous. TV Guide reported last year that Sheindlin gets $47 million a year — making her the highest-paid person on the tube by far.

IN STORES: AMAZON SLASHES PRICE OF FIRE

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple is expected to unveil its latest version of the iPhone today. And Amazon is apparently feeling the heat — so much that it’s dousing the price of its own smartphone, the Fire.

Amazon says the price of the 32 gigabyte version of the phone will now cost just 99 cents — when customers sign a two-year deal with AT&T. The 64 gigabyte version will now cost $99. The previous price for the 32 gig version was $199 and cost for the 64 gig version was $299.

Amazon says both phones will still come with unlimited cloud storage for photos and a free year of Amazon Prime — the company’s free shipping and video-streaming plan. That service normally costs $99 a year.